


portus

by YukinaMika



Series: 2020 [15]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/M, I'm tired, Jasonette July 2k20, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, the Yule Ball is discussed but the participation part is not shown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:40:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25051054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YukinaMika/pseuds/YukinaMika
Summary: Jason, Marinette and the Yule BallFor Jasonette July 2020's prompt 'First Date'
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Jason Todd
Series: 2020 [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593016
Comments: 14
Kudos: 130





	portus

The one time that the Triwizard Tournament is held, Jason is not of the eligible age to participate. Which would be pretty good for Bruce’s heart had Dick’s name not come out of the Goblet of Fire.

But yeah, Dick’s name came out and Bruce’s face twitched like he was being electrocuted. Alfred took a picture and sent it to them.

They titled it “A certain parent’s reaction to their child being chosen by a fucking goblet”. Roy replicated it and gave Jason a copy while Dick kept the original under his pillow.

And it would have been so good if Dick is the recipient of Bruce’s helicopter parenting once in a while. He was laughing at Jason when Bruce fussed over him the last time they went home after an incident with a certain willow that he does not like to revisit.

What goes around comes around and all the jazz…

But alas, life does not like Jason and he would like to say the feeling is mutual but, well… There are always books to read.

Anyway, Dick fucks off whenever it’s time for mail and Jason receives all of those. And like one out of three is not a Howler whose content is about Dick’s poor life choices.

The only bright spot about this is that everyone is so hyped up about the Tournament that even the Ravenclaws keep themselves away from the library for some interschool rivalries. Well, almost everyone but a Slytherin girl and Jason.

He is pretty sure the librarian is waiting for the presumably inevitable fight between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor with the way they eyes him every time he passes their desk. Personally, Jason thinks they are hoping for some drama to spice up their life when the majority of the students are busy hissing at each other like cats.

Well, sucks to be them because Jason has no wish to fight with that girl. He is not that stupid.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng, transferred to Hogwarts just two years ago, is beloved by all. And by all, he means most, if not all, of the Slytherins and quite a few of other students who she either bumps into or helps along her way to wherever she needs to be.

It is not as if Marinette cannot defend herself. It is the opposite actually. She has been seen standing up to bullies and once, or twice, roasted a guy so hard he did not show his face for days.

Jason was there for the roast and oh, did she have a way with words.

But anyway, Marinette is cool and if you lay a finger on her, a whole house will be out for your blood. That is, if your housemates have not rioted and tossed you out of their common room.

Jason is reckless, not stupid, thank you very much.

That and well, why fight with the only person who will sit with him and read while the others wage war or whatever they would like to call their squabbling. Please, Jason has priorities.

* * *

Roy stares at him when he enters their room, a stack of books and parchments in his hand and what he would call a dopey smile on his lips. Bird, the baby phoenix that came to him a few years ago, chirps in a tone that sounds like a question as he deposits the books and parchments on his desk and just flops on top of his bed like a cat.

“What the fuck happened in the few hours we left you alone?” Roy flops his ass on his bed and peers down at him. “Did you take candies from strangers?”

Oh for the love of…

“Fuck off, Harper!” he snarls half-heartedly as the floating sensation ends abruptly like Roy just yanked him down to earth. Why are they friends again?

Roy squints at him some more before blanching like he bites on a sour lemon. The baby phoenix chirps again, this time sounding like exasperation.

“Oh god, no…” Roy moans and Jason feels more than see him slide down from the bed and sprawl on the floor. “Please tell me you actually asked Dupain-Cheng out instead of hiding behind the books and mooning after her, again!”

Jason kicks him lightly and hears a frustrated whimper. Roy is wrong and he does not hide or moon.

“- long enough. You should just go ahead and ask her out,” Roy is still talking. “I’m serious, Jaybird!”

Yes, he knows how long it has been since that moment in the hallway when he fell head over heels for her. Yes, he still remembers the first time they actually interacted and how warm it felt when Marinette smiled. Yes, he is very aware of how fucked he is.

Marinette is basically the school’s sweetheart. She is so kind that she would help anyone. You have a problem, you come to her and it will be solved. And her wits are just fucking sharp that Jason gets goosebumps just from replaying the rare times she laid out the verbal smack-downs. She smiles and everyone just swoons left and right.

Dick Grayson walks by and turns everyone’s head. Marinette Dupain-Cheng smiles and gives everyone heart palpations.

He is not exaggerating and the Slytherins coined that but no one disagrees with it. Dick is pretty and well-known for his big heart but Marinette gives off the floaty feeling that kindness is real and not dead.

Just being in the same room as her is like being home. Like the old days of curling up next to his mother and listening to the gentle heartbeat and watching her chest rises and falls rhythmically. Like the feeling of fingers carding through his hair and a warm hand on his cheek. Like eating Alfred’s food and going to bed with a full stomach and a roof above his head, not worrying about the next meal or whether it would rain.

Roy thinks he is lovesick and dramatic while Kori coos about him being a romantic. Artemis rolls her eyes and says he is ridiculous and Bizarro gives him thumbs-up.

Jason is self-aware enough to know when he is crushing on someone. At least he is not repressed in that area like a certain someone.

But the thing is: Marinette is too good. And Jason is just himself. A street rat who was at the right place at the right time and got a roof over his head, home-cooked food and something like a dysfunctional family.

He has nothing to his name, no talent whatsoever. He is not like Dick who is like the sun. Nor is he like Roy who is wicked smart. He has no eidetic memory like Barbara and there is no way he can come close to Kori or Artemis. Heck, Marinette might even like Bizarro more than him.

“It’s hard,” he murmurs, dragging the pillow closer and buries his face into the fluff. “You make it so easy…”

He can literally hear Roy rolling his eyes. The bed dips as his friend climbs onto it.

“It is,” comes Roy’s answer as he drags the pillow away and Jason squints up at him incredulously. “Just go up to her and ask if she would like to spend some time together.”

“I wish it would be that simple,” he moans, yanking the pillow back into his arms and cuddles it.

“Then I hope it is uncomplicated soon because the Yule Ball is coming and if you don’t act then don’t come to me crying when Dupain-Cheng dances with Beauxbatons’ champion.”

* * *

Roy was not wrong when he said that Marinette might just end up dancing with Beauxbatons' champion. Jason really hates it when Roy is right.

But Marinette greets Couffaine like an old friend would and maybe they are seeing as Marinette's earlier years were spent at Beauxbatons Academy. And what if they were something more with the way they seem to lean so comfortably into each other's presence.

Marinette smiles more when she is with Couffaine and the other girl who is usually seen with them. She seems lighter, as if she has found something precious and is now cradling it close.

Jason... does not dislike it.

It is not a poetic thing with the ‘whatever makes your love happy’ or maybe it is? It's just...

Marinette is happy and it hurts that he is not the one who is making her smile and laugh so carefree like that. And all of those shits about love makes people more beautiful and whatsoever?

Well, Marinette is simply radiant.

Jason is fucked for the usual kind and quiet Marinette but the one who is so bright and so, so open in her happiness? He has no defense against that.

And what can he even say when Marinette turns up at the library with Couffaine and the other girl he has seen once or twice in tow? He is but an acquaintance, someone who sits next to her and read, someone she can have a discussion with on this book and that topic.

Marinette greets him with a kind smile and yup, there they are, the usual palpations…

“Would you mind if my friends join our reading time?” she asks, biting her lips and damn, he really have no defense against her. “People keeps hounding Luka and he looks tired so I thought he could relax here.”

Beauxbatons’ champion nods and upon further inspection, Jason can see the faint bags under his eyes and the otherwise invisible lines of a frown on his face. Life is hard when you became a champion of the Triwizard Tourament, huh?

“I’m Luka Couffaine,” he introduces himself, holding out a hand. “It is very nice to meet you.”

Couffaine’s grasp is firm when Jason takes his offered hand. There is a quiet sound like a hum as he titles his head, looking back at Jason like he is studying a puzzle. Like he is seeing something interesting and wants to get his hands on it.

It is a bit unnerving. And that is saying a lot when he knows Bruce.

A light cough draws Jason’s attention away from Couffaine’s searching gaze. He turns to face the other girl whose name he still has not found out.

She stands strong with an air of confidence, eyes sharp and focus. There is a glimmer of something in her stance once her eyes meet his.

“My name is Tsurugi Kagami,” she says and huh? That name sounds familiar. “Marinette talks about you a lot.”

“Jason Todd-“ he starts and whatever he is about to say die on his tongue when his brain catches up.

Marinette talks about him to her friends?! What?! You don’t just talk about that one guy who sits next to you in the library and read and maybe engages in a discussion with you once in a while!?

In a daze, he looks to Marinette and oh. Her face is red. That’s cute-

Wait, no! What does that mean?! There’s no way, right?!

He can barely feel Couffaine’s hand on his back as he guides him back to the table before flopping down next to him with a book. He hears something about moving on and then suddenly, they are talking about mandrakes.

What the fuck just happened?

* * *

Well, Roy did tell Jason to not come to him crying when Marinette dances with Couffaine. Seeing as the Yule Ball is still some days away, Roy surely cannot get mad if Jason comes to him right now, right?

“Ok, walk me through this again,” Roy says slowly like the words do not make senses. Well, Jason can relate. Everything is not making senses right now. “You were in the library,” comes a hum of affirmation.

“Dupain-Cheng came along with her friends: Beauxbatons’ champion who is also that rising guitar lead in Paris and the heiress of the Tsurugi family who is also a world-renowned fencer,” Roy says.

“Exactly,” Jason whines because Marinette is friends with people like that yet she still spends time with him. Tsurugi alone could squash him like a fucking ant.

Roy pats him on the head before continues on like the bastard that he is. “And Tsurugi might have implied that Dupain-Cheng is interested in you and she blushes,” Yes, Roy, why don’t you just climb the Astronomy Tower and shout it out for the whole school to hear?!

“Can you not?” he groans and rolls onto his side to cuddle the pillow.

He can literally hear Roy rolls his eyes and the bed dips as Roy sits his ass on bed. Bird’s chirping sounds suspiciously like laughter and once again, Jason wonders if a bird can even be a sadist.

“No, Jaybird,” Roy sounds elated and like, what the fuck, dude?! “This is good. Very good, actually.”

Jason rolls around just to stare at Roy incredulously.

“Think about it! You like her,” Roy very pointedly ignores his ‘Everyone likes Marinette’ and rushes forward like the reckless shit that he is. “She, according to Tsurugi, talks about you a lot. Sounds like it’s a perfect recipe for a cute couple.”

“More like an equation for disasters, you daft…”

Roy squints at him and his face spells out the ‘what the fuck?’ like it usually does when Jason does something stupid.

“No, think about it, Harper. Maybe I’m just a friend to her. You know how shy she is. So what if she blushed because she was put on the spot?”

Roy stares at him before bringing his hands up to cover his face. Then he exhales loudly.

“Yeah, no. I’m bringing in reinforcement.”

* * *

Roy brings in the others. And by the others, Jason means Artemis, Kori and Bizarro.

So here they are, in Jason’s room, which is also Roy’s, sitting in a circle while Bird perches on Bizarro’s shoulder, being cooed over and occasionally pecking him playfully. Jason is too busy stopping Roy from adding anything unnecessary or dramatic to his story to pout over how Bird clearly prefers Bizarro over him.

“So,” Roy finishes with a flourish, looking around expectantly. “What’s the verdict?”

Jason groans because fucking Roy portrayed him like some poor guy too stuck in denial and mooning over his crush.

Sure, maybe he has a crush on Marinette but he would eat his shoe if Couffaine and her are not a couple. And Jason is not of the habit of interfering with people’s relationship.

“This is ridiculous,” is Artemis’ verdict. She looks like she has just finished watching some cheap drama and is disgusted with the lack of logic in it. Which is a look Jason is well-versed with seeing as he sees it quite a lot. Neither where or when he saw it is up to discussion.

“Quite,” Kori hums, reaching over to run her hands over Bird’s glossy feathers. “But you have to admit that our Jason is a considerate boy.”

“Excuse me?! What is ridiculous here? It’s very logical to assume that Marinette and Couffaine is very close. They seem to take comfort in each other’s presence and I swear they were holding hands yesterday.”

“I was there too,” Roy rolls his eyes. “And Tsurugi was there as well. Also holding hands with them.”

Oh right… Jason was a bit fixated on Couffaine’s supposed relationship with Marinette but Tsurugi really was holding Marinette’s hand, was she not?

Wait…

“Fuck me,” he whines and hugs his knees. “Tsurugi was warning me to stay away from Marinette. Damn, what if she stabs me?”

Looking back, Tsurugi seems really close with both Couffaine and Marinette and more often than not, hangs out with Couffaine when they are with the other students from Beauxbatons. What if they were in a three-way relationship?

Fuck, Tsurugi is a fencer. Forget hexes, those he can deal with. But a fencer coming onto him with a stabby stick? That is going to be so, so messy.

Once again, his friends have proven to be actual sadists – or at least, he has a feeling that some of them enjoys watching people struggle. Only Bizarro looks sympathetic while Kori seems amused. Roy and Artemis seem to be at different stages of exasperation.

Even Bird seems to be judging him from her perch on Bizarro’s head. She used to be really sweet. Jason should not have let Roy bird-sit.

"Oh Jason," Kori laughs as Bird glides down to settle in her laps. "Sometimes, the truth is not what you think it is."

"Not this time," he whines. "You didn't see the way Couffaine looked at me. It was like I was a puzzle and he wanted to dissect me."

"Little one," and Artemis is too fond of her nickname for him. "You are worrying over nothing."

Is he?

His friends might be bastards but they would offer help and advices after they finish poking fun at him. Except Bizarro who is just an awkward sweetheart who tries his best.

They would not lie to him. However, they are not omnipresent. They could be wrong.

Damn, why are feelings so difficult?!

* * *

Look, so maybe Jason's friends might be a bit sadistic - an inherited trait, seeing as Roy passed it onto Bird. Maybe they are kind of assholes - Artemis said it was because Jason himself was one and it rubbed off on them.

At least they do not meddle in other people's business. Ok, maybe they do but other people's romance?

So off the table that it is not even invited to the meeting.

The same, however, cannot be said to Bruce's gaggle of kids.

Dick, he can understand. He is the personification of a golden retriever: friendly and energetic. People takes to him like fish to water and it is not strange that he would hear something about Jason and a certain girl.

Tim, he can understand. Their tiny Tim is the closest thing they have to a stalker. Ok, maybe 'stalk' is too heavy of a word. Tim prefers 'observation' more when it comes to his unique hobby. The point is: Tim keeps tabs on people. Any hope Jason has about keeping him away from whatever it is between Marinette and him is nonexistent

Barbara... Well, she knows. Everything happens in this school can never be hidden from the Oracle. Jason does not even entertain the thought that Barbara does not know about Marinette and him.

Now, he does not understand the younger ones.

The one he interacts with the most is Damian and most of the time, they snap and snip at each other. Heck, the gremlin might just cackle in glee if Jason fall down and break his neck. Why would he even be interested in Jason’s whatever-it-is with Marinette?

Steph and him gets along quite well though that just might be an unspoken alliance against Bruce and his Bruce-ness. There is no way she would laugh while her ally struggle, right? Wrong! Because if she wouldn’t, they would not be here.

Cass... Well, he does not know her well enough despite living in the same home with her every time summer comes and they return to Wayne Manor. Maybe under all of that silence, Cass is secretly a sadist who loves to watch people struggle?

And Duke... Duke seems to be a good kid. Heck, he might just be the only sane one of them. Why the hell is he doing this though?

"You need to step up your game, dude," says the kid who he used to thought was the only sane one until he cornered Jason in the Owlery. 

Really Duke? The Owlery? At least it is less cliché than, say, the bathroom.

Cass tilts her head to the side though the corner of her lips lifts up faintly. Like she is biting back a smile.

Steph, however, has no such restraint.

"LOL," she laughs and did she just?! Like say that out loud? "That's no use, newbie."

"She speaks the truth," speaks Damian and Steph gasps. She is not the only who stares at the gremlin. The little grump rarely, if ever agrees with anyone.

"I only speak the truth!" the gremlin flushes red. "Grayson has spoken of Todd's past infatuations and his failure to act!"

Ok, what the fuck, Dick?!

"Firstly," he says, taking a deep breath. Whoever can deal with the gremlin should get a fucking medal because Jason cannot. "There was no infatuation."

The nearest thing of an infatuation in his past was his hero-worship of Diana. That and the little short-lived puppy crush on Barbara.

"Second, I do not think dearest Dick has any place to talk about my love life."

"Is that because you don't have one?" Steph wears a shit-eating grin and god! Bruce should just adopt her already. She would fit right in.

"Thirdly and also lastly," he pointedly ignores Steph because that? Is not something he wants to spend time arguing about. "Do not, and I cannot stress this enough, meddle in my affairs."

The kids look at each other. And they laugh. Bastards. Each and every one of them.

Yeah, no. Jason is not dealing with this.

* * *

And thus, starts what Jason would refer to as ‘The hellions’ attempts to drive him to an early grave’ for years to come.

He really thought he had dodged it. How naïve he was…

First, it is Duke with the paper airplanes. Like, enchanted airplanes with cheesy lines on them gliding toward Marinette’s desk. And all of them has his name on it. However, none of those are in his handwriting.

Tim brings one to Jason with a raised eyebrow. Like Jason has a hand in whatever this shit is.

“So,” drawls Tim, eyeing the pile of ashes that was once the enchanted airplane. “Anything you want to confess?”

“Fuck no,” Jason positively snarls. Like why the hell are they doing this?! Annoying little shits!

“I thought Duke was your favorite?”

“Not anymore!”

And then, it is Cass and Steph and the little ridiculous notes. Actually, they are pretty good if all of them are not in that shade of purple.

“It’s eggplant!” Steph shouts after him after he dumps a pile of those things in front of her before stalking toward his usual seat.

Cass stares at him with a beginning of a pout and no, Jason will not cave. He has experiences. He can say ‘No!’ to Bird. He can say ‘No!’ to Roy and –

“You tried. Just… not that shade of purple next time, please.”

Cass lights up like a Christmas tree at Christmas.

Barbara offers no comment but she knows. After all, she did tell him Dick’s failed attempts at wooing her as precautions.

“But Jay,” Dick, buried in books and papers, whines. Life really is hard for a Triwizard champion, is it not? “I have experiences!”

“Experiences on what not to do,” Jason drawls dryly. “But thanks, anyway.”

And then, the last boss comes.

Damian appears with a sword and chases after Marinette. Which is fucking stupid because Tsurugi sess and promptly duels him while Couffaine does damage control, meaning he comforts Marinette and reigns Tsurugi in when she looks like she would rather run Damian through.

It is scary as hell and sure, maybe Jason should be a bit sorry for Damian when Tsurugi hands him his fucking ass but honestly? Yeah, no. The gremlin has it coming.

The little shit came after Marinette with a fucking sword. Sure, he says he was chasing Marinette toward Jason to give him a chance to flaunt his skills to impress Marinette but Tsurugi ruined his plans. Like damn, what are they in? A fairytale where the hero saves the damsel in distress?

Jason is barely a hero and Marinette is absolutely not a damsel in distress. She can and probably will save herself if push comes to shove.

But Tsurugi is fuming and Couffaine’s eyes are so cold when they follow after the retreating gremlin even as they fuss over Marinette.

Yeah no. Jason is not getting involved. He is not stupid.

* * *

So! Fifteen years and Jason is on what might just be the last day of his life.

If he, for whatever reason, does not die from the overwhelming embarrassment, Tsurugi might stab him. Heck, maybe it would be Couffaine who ends him.

Marinette is pressed against him and not for the first time, Jason wonders why there is even a broom closet at Hogwarts. Also, must it be this small? The place is so damnable huge and the broom closet is teeny tiny like Tim.

“I’m so sorry,” Marinette says, for the fifth time in the hour. “I had no idea you were here!”

“No, no! The fault is mine! I probably shouldn’t be sneaking around in a broom closet!”

No, really! Jason should not have agreed to one of Roy’s dares. The last time he did, Bird got a make-over and she was so mad that she moved into Artemis’ room for a while until Jason braved the stairs to apologize to her.

The stairs to the girls’ dorms is a bitch and ten out of ten would not recommend...

That and Artemis is in the same house as Marinette. And he remembers her peering over the crowd of students as he clawed his way toward the top.

It was two years ago and Jason never lives it down. Maybe he will never with the way the others keep bringing it up.

But one thing is for sure: whatever good impression he had made probably was ruined the moment Marinette saw that…

And after this, if he, somehow, escaped unscathed, Marinette probably would never approach him again.

Sure, the stairs thing was not his best moments. And then there was the dungeon incident. Also, the time he found Bird and nearly burned the Forbidden Forest down and Marinette had not transferred to Hogwarts yet but he would bet his ass someone would have told her.

Trouble follows him around like a puppy and he would not begrudge Marinette should she decide to cancel their reading time forever.

After all, why would she want to hang out with him when Couffaine and Tsurugi are right there?!

Jason would probably get her into so many troubles. Just look at the things his friends and him got themselves into. And that is not counting those that Bruce’s kids usually got caught up in – the media circus and the weird things Bruce brought back from his unofficial vigilante thing.

Yeah, Marinette probably would not want that…

“-sorry,” comes Marinette’s little squeak and it is dark as hell in here but he can almost see her pretty gray eyes darting to the side and the trembling of her lips. “I didn’t know Lila was going to shove me in here.”

If there is any fault that Marinette has, it is probably her low self-esteem. She certainly cares for others. The problem is that she cares too little for herself.

“Well then it’s not your fault,” he insists because look, Jason does not really have a high self-esteem and Roy and the others have experiences with dealing his few moments that are lower than others. “Whoever shoved you in here is the one in the wrong.”

He knows who this Lila she spoke of. There is no way he does not know with the way she prances around spouting the ridiculous lies that still somehow ensnares certain people.

“Still I must apologize,” Marinette insists because of course she is stubborn. Birds of a feather stick together and all. Must be why the people he surrounds himself with are all stubborn as mules.

“And I said you don’t have too,” he huffs and for a moment, forgets the distance between them and just, puts a hand on her shoulder. Then it hits him and he nearly trips over himself. “I mean, it’s not like you’re planning to get locked in here, right?”

“Of course not!” comes the squeak. “I only meant that I should apologize as a former student of Beauxbatons Academy. Lila’s actions have left a… bad impression on the others.”

“No shit, Sherlock!”

The words slip free from his mouth, unfiltered because whenever Marinette is close by, his brain just does not work properly. Bruce must be so disappointed.

But Marinette laughs, the sound like bells in a clear morning. Like invisible weights vanishing from tired shoulders. Like a heart lightened with hope.

It is contagious and he cannot help smiling along.

“But you know? While there are people who might judge Beauxbatons because of that girl, there are also people who were touched by your kindness.”

Because there are. The students who she helped along the way. The people she lent a shoulder to cry on. Those she shared her food with. The ones she gifted precious presents to.

“… Are you one of those people?” comes the question and Jason nearly chokes.

Marinette’s voice is so small when she delivers the words that it is almost shaky. From nerves, perhaps? Or is it because of disbelief?

Look, Jason knows Marinette can take care of herself. He has seen her standing up to bullies with nothing but her wits and her words. But…

Hearing her shaky voice gives rising to something fierce and hot. Like a fire, uncontainable, raging and raging. Like a swell of warmth that runs hotter and hotter every second.

“Of course,” he assures her, squeezing her shoulder the way he usually does with the younger kids that even Tim melts completely into it. “I like you so much that Roy keeps telling me to ask you out but I’m pretty sure your girlfriend might just stab me just for getting too close to you.”

The slowly disappearing tension comes back so fast he nearly gets whiplash. Marinette goes frigid under his touch.

Damn. It was his unfiltered mouth again, wasn’t it?!

“Girlfriend?” she echoes and there is a note of surprise in her voice. Huh?

“You are in a relationship with Tsurugi and Couffaine, right?”

Oh, maybe they haven’t broadcasted it? Well, it’s not like Jason is prone to gossips. If they want to keep it a secret, he won’t–

“Jason Todd, I like you,” Marinette says and god, Jason can swear that her eyes are glowing like mercury in the sunlight. “Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?”

S.O.S. The blue screen of death. Error 404: Jason.exe has crashed.

“But-“ He must have misheard, right? There is no way, right?

“Luka and Kagami are my good friends,” comes Marinette’s reply, eternally patient with a hint of amusement in her tone. “Like really good friends.”

“And you like me?” Him? The trouble magnet that is the source of most of Bruce’s headache? The street rat that has nothing to offer? The one with no reputable lineage to boast, no penny to his name?

“Yes,” says Marinette, her bottom lip between her lips. Now that he thinks of it, she does that a lot when she is nervous. “Is it requited?”

Ok so maybe Jason does stutter but who would not? Marinette – the school’s sweetheart – just asked him to the Yule Ball!

He might just have to thank Roy for the ridiculous dare.

* * *

So. So!

Here he is. Standing in front of Slytherin’s common room, waiting for the familiar mop of black hair and the bright eyes that he has long associated with the kind girl who asked him out in the broom closet.

And god, Roy is sure to laugh about this for years to come. That one time Jason decided to take Roy on his dare to explore the broom closet to look for some ghosts or some bizarre things ended up with Jason with a date. Like, what are the odds?!

Artemis groaned something along the line of ‘About fucking time’ when he broke the news. Kori scooped him up in a hug which Bizarro joined, remarking that ‘Red Him happy’ and huh, maybe he was.

Still is, actually.

Damian has long departed, sparing a sneer his way as he heads for Ravenclaw’s common room. Of course, he is dressed to the nines, puffing up like a bird on their way to impress their mate.

The gremlin might think he is being all hush-hush but everyone and their mother knows he has a soft spot for the resident puzzle fanatic. Hopefully they would keep each other from going down the wrong path.

Mizoguchi as a new and improved Riddler or the gremlin running the biggest organization of mercenaries in the wizarding world is not something the world needs.

Artemis passes him with a grin, like she knows something Jason does not. Which might be true seeing as she shares a house with Marinette thus giving her the chance to see Marinette’s dress before Jason can.

He is almost envy of her.

“Have you been waiting for long?” comes a familiar voice and he turns and splutters.

Marinette is radiant as she approaches. The smile on her lips is a small one, bashful and soft and her eyes shines like stars in the vast sky. Like the silver moon in dark cloudless nights. Like the sun coming out of the clouds after the rain. Like the sound of happiness in the smiles those drunk on joy.

“Not really,” the words finally get out. “You… uhm… You look good.”

Fuck! Can he be anymore awkward?!

But Marinette laughs and holds out a hand. Her eyes are twinkling with amusement when they meet his.

“Shall we go?”

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what to say about this but I like Hogwarts AUs. And I like playing fast and loose with canon. I know that Jay and the others would be at Ilvermorny but I still haven't exactly thought out the inner works of the school.
> 
> So, a list because it's a habit now (not in the exact order of appearing because it's night and I'm tired):
> 
>   * Marinette - Slytherin, 6th year 
>   * Kagami - Exchange student at Beauxbatons, 6th year 
>   * Luka - Student at Beauxbatons, 7th year 
>   * Jason - Gryffindor, 5th year 
>   * Roy - Ravenclaw, 7th year 
>   * Bizarro - Hufflepuff, 5th year 
>   * Artemis - Slytherin, 6th year 
>   * Kori - Gryffindor, 7th year 
>   * Tim - Ravenclaw, 4th year 
>   * Richard - Hufflepuff, 7th year 
>   * Damian - Slytherin, 2nd year 
>   * Maps - Ravenclaw, 2nd year 
>   * Steph - Gryffindor, 4th year 
>   * Cass - Hufflepuff, 4th year 
>   * Duke - Hufflepuff, 3rd year 
>   * Barbara - Gryffindor, 7th year 
> 



End file.
